Submitted by freenet on Sat, 01/05/2010 - 03:02
CHANNELS:
Pretoria- The four South African peacekeepers, who were kidnapped in the war-ravaged Sudanese region of Darfur, say despite their ordeal, they are ready to go back to the war-torn country to continue their duties.
The peacekeepers were kidnapped on 11 April from the region's main town Nyala, in the latest wave of abductions of foreign workers by young men demanding ransoms. They were safely released on Monday.
Female officers Ntlogeleng Aucone and Meisie Ramantsi and their colleagues Michael Melanzi and Michael Annett were in the region as police advisors, sent by the SA Police Service for the United Nations mission in Darfur (Unamid).
They don't carry weapons and their tasks include training local police in law enforcement, human rights and gender based violence.
Speaking to the media about their ordeal, the four who were welcomed by Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa and National Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele said they were prepared to go back.
Colonel Aucone said the experience was an emotional one and although they knew the risks of being there, they we were up to it.
Reliving the ordeal, Aucone said they thought they would be killed at first but they remained focused.
She said their kidnappers never abused them but instead treated them like "human beings".
"Despite the ordeal, we are ready to g back to Sudan and finish our term," said Aucone - a view that was shared by the entire team.
"We still want to go back to raise the South African flag high," Melanzi, a sergeant from Gauteng said.
The team said there were grateful for the support that the country and the world had given them.
"We are well and happy to be back safe," said constable Ramantsi.
Mthethwa said the four would in the coming weeks undergo psychological support until they are physically and mentally fit to return to work.
They spent more than two weeks in captivity with their 18 kidnappers and slept in an open field.
Mthethwa said the kidnapping would not deter South Africa from contributing to the stability and development of peace on the continent.
"Instead it will serve to inspire us even more to never give up in our duties towards defending the weak, vulnerable and aggrieved members of our society," he said.
Cele said there was no clear motive for the kidnapping, adding that there was a problem with criminality in the region they were in -people who are basically motivated by money and greed. He said ransom was not paid for their release.
Media reports from Sudan indicate that the rebels only wanted to demonstrate that security conditions in Sudan were not conducive for the holding of elections. -BuaNews